I'm Sioux Roslawski and this is my blog about writing, dogs, grown-up children, menopause, the joy of a marvelous book, classroom teaching in general, and specifically, the teaching of writing. You can email me at sroslawski(at)yahoo(dot)com.

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Monday, October 13, 2014

Long or Short?

Long or short books for your reading pleasure? Right now I'm reading Justin Cronin's The Passage, and it's one of those you're-thankful-to-take-a-dump-and-you-love-commercials kind of books, because every time I get to squeeze some reading in, I do. It's a 700+ pager, I'm halfway through and looking forward to seeing where it puts me at the end. (For all you Seinfeld fans, that book has been in the bathroom so many times, there are flags all over the place.)Long or short hair? I've been growing my hair for a while, and no matter how long it gets, it never looked lovely. I always looked more like Rumplestiltskin than Rapunzel.This afternoon I got it whacked off. And I feel so much better...Long spurts or short ones? When I get an idea of something to add--even if I'm not at the place where it truly belongs yet--I spend a few minutes and slip it in...because if I don't get it down on paper, I'll forget it and it'll be lost. I'm trying to make the most of small windows of time to write, while looking forward to some event-free weekends and perhaps a few snow days when winter hits, so I can have some large spans of time to write. (Is October too early for a deluge of freezing rain?)Long breasts or short ones? (Oh, if you're younger than fifty-something, you don't know what I'm talking about...But you will.)Long-sighted or short-sighted? What are you looking forward to in the far future, and what are you looking forward to that's happening really soon?Short-haired Sioux wants to know...

Joeh--(So that I make sure and get it right) What am I not supposed to tell your missus...That you think of your grandkids at crankettes or are you leaving the missus behind, and that is what you're looking forward to?

If you do the movie park that's hooked up with Disney (Universal?), be sure to do the "Tower of Terror" ride. It's real and it's spectacular and it has no jarring twists or turns...just a couple of straight down drops.

Hm...long comment or short comment? I'm going long. You should be ashamed of flagging that book. Rebecca DeMornay will not be happy.

Long books for me. I feel cheated with a short one.

My hair is about the length of yours in that current picture, which you would probably call "long," but I would not, thinking instead that "long" would be the kind of coiffure one might find on Lady Godiva.

I prefer long writing spurts, because, well, I'm long-winded. But I also enjoy the short spurts of brilliance I get early in the morning, and jot them down to use later, when they somehow turn out to be not at all that brilliant. (Pass out those emergency phone trees, and let's get on with winter!)

I'll never tell, because we all learned in "A League of Their Own" that a lady reveals nothing. But I will leave you with one word: waistboobs.

I am looking forward to retirement in one and three-quarter years for the long term, and to 21 snow days again this year in the short term. Not that I don't enjoy my job, of course. I simply find it time-consuming.

I prefer short books. I'm not a fast reader, so a really long book--like Les Miserables--can take me six weeks. However, I prefer more pages to tiny print. I simply won't read a book with little tiny print.

I got my long hair cut just a little longer than in your sidebar picture, and, what do you know, I love it. I couldn't pull off the long hair anymore, it just looked messy.

Shay--Cutting it can be freeing. I'm glad you like your new 'do. I felt like--now that it's cut--the longer hair made me look older. (And by "long," it was barely long enough to pull up in a clip, so we're not talkin' 'bout way-down-my-back tresses.)

Books: Doesn't matter. I'll read anything. I loved Stephen King's "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" which was a novella, but I also loved Ken Follett's "Pillars of the Earth." And good short stories rock. Who doesn't love O. Henry?

Hair: I'd love to go super short (have done so a couple times) but I look better with longer hair. I have a horse face--big and long--and short hair makes me look like Mr. Ed. Lifestyle-wise I keep it just long enough to put in a ponytail or a bun.

Spurts: Long spurts, definitely. Once I'm in the zone I like to stay there.

Boobs: *sigh* What are those?

Long-sighted: Downsizing our big house to something more manageable now that my youngest is almost 21. It's time. Yay! Also, a long career in writing. If I die at 100 I hope they'll find me with my hands on the keyboard.

In one hour I am getting my tresses trimmed. Right now I resemble Jerry Seinfeld's TV mom, but if I get my hair cut short I look like Laura Bush. UGH. Boob's southbound and down. Books, I usually have three going at one time. Looking forward to retiring. Writing is what it is: spontaneous. Sometimes I spend hours on a piece and ask myself if I realize I am working for pennies. Other times, short works best and I can get a lot accomplished.

Books? I love all lengths and usually have at least two going at once.Hair? I'm looking shaggy and need a haircut.Writing Spurts? For me, it's a matter of time.Boobs? When I was a teen I was flat as a pancake, now I'm more like Texas toast.Long range/short range? It's day-to-day for me, and I'm thankful for each one.

I'll read anything if the story grabs me.My hair and I have regular disagreements. It wants to be frizzy, I want it to be straight.Writing? It hasn't happened much at all lately, I'm ashamed to admit. Fall is too darn busy.My boobs long ago became quite unperky.Short term: I'm looking forward to a glimpse of your new 'do.Long term (hopefully not too distant): Retirement, please!